


How to Save a Life

by cardeloonygate



Category: Dead To Me (TV)
Genre: Angst, Cute, F/F, Fluff, Jen is cardio, Judy is peds, dead to me x greys, multi chap au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-16
Updated: 2020-07-30
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:07:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,566
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25301365
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cardeloonygate/pseuds/cardeloonygate
Summary: Judy Hale is the new pediatrics attending at Laguna beach hospital. This is the story of how she and Jen Harding, the cardio attending, meet and hopefully fall very much in love. This is a greys crossover and some parts will come directly from the show but other parts will not.
Relationships: Judy Hale/Jen Harding
Comments: 3
Kudos: 38





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Jen does not have kids  
> this is loosely based off of greys and I don't know much about hospital stuff so it's probably inaccurate sorry. I looked up stuff but most of what I know is from greys which probably isn't very realistic.

It’s been three months since Judy started her new job at Laguna Beach hospital in California. She had come all the way from Baltimore, Maryland where she completed her internship and four years of residency under the most prestigious pediatric doctors in the country. Now she was going to be a pediatric attending. This was her dream; to be her own boss. I mean, there was the chief of surgery over her but anything on the peds floor of the hospital she basically ran. 

Sunny California was really more of her home than Baltimore had been. Judy was raised in California, well not really raised but she lived there for most of her life, so she was ecstatic to be back on the sandy soil. She got to bust out her beloved hippie-esque dresses when she had free time out of work and more importantly was able to frequent the crystal shop near her apartment complex. 

Three months had passed, and she got to know her coworkers very well, especially the other attendings. They would usually see each other around or eat lunch together because they were on the same wavelength. Interns would hang with interns, residents would hang with residents, and attendings would hang with attendings. That’s just the way it is, and Judy didn’t mind. Her years of trying to get to the top of the food chain were finally over. 

First there was Lorna Harding who gave Judy the job. Lorna was the chief of surgery; she basically ran the whole hospital. Judy knew her resume would impress the woman. She had graduated top of her class in med school and studied at Johns Hopkins, the best pediatric hospital in the country, for her internship and residency. Chief Harding however didn’t expect the perky disposition the younger woman had until after she was hired. It annoyed her but Judy was very good at her job, like scarily good. To keep in the chief’s good graces, Judy usually tries to steer clear of bumping into her because Judy knows the kind of people who are annoyed by how upbeat she usually is. 

Actually, even before she met chief Harding, she had met the plastics attending, even though she didn’t know at the time that he was head of plastics, let alone a doctor. Steve Wood was a very handsome man. Perfect face structure, perfect body, and perfect hair. The night before her first day at work, Judy was anxious and decided a couple drinks at a local bar wouldn’t hurt. 

There she met Steve who laid it on Judy pretty thick. Judy couldn’t get over how perfect he looked which now made sense. He was a fucking plastic surgeon; it would be ironic if he didn’t look absolutely perfect. Judy was, at the time, lightly buzzed. Not enough to damage her first day at work, but enough for her to sleep with the guy. 

Judy curses herself every time she sees him in the hospital now. If he catches her eye, he always sends a sly grin like he’s telepathically trying to say ‘I’ve seen you naked’ to Judy. The peds surgeon did not have any feelings for him whatsoever and she thinks he knows that. He was just a way to get rid of her pent-up anxiety at the time. He just so happened to be a douche who had to remind her what happened between them every time they saw each other. 

Then there was Michelle who was a nice peds nurse. Because Judy was head of pediatrics, she and Michelle saw each other a lot. Michelle obviously had a huge crush on Judy, which Judy found quiet flattering. Even though Judy was bisexual she didn’t want to get involved with anyone at the hospital. She’s seen that mistake too many times on television. 

Of course, she had already broken that rule with Steve but that didn’t really count in her head. But oh boy was it already causing so much turmoil. So, Judy didn’t entertain Michelle’s harmless flirting or wandering eyes. The surgeon pretended to be oblivious and it actually worked quiet well. 

Judy didn’t see much of Perez and Christopher, they were selective people and didn’t like to go out of their comfort zones to meet new people. Perez especially did not like people very much. She was the General Attending and was such a badass. Judy tried desperately to be even just acquaintances with the woman, but nothing would crack that shell. Judy complimented her hair every day and sometimes brought her a cup of coffee from the dining hall but nope. Perez believed that work was just that… work. 

Christopher wasn’t stand offish like Perez. He was rather nice (and so obviously gay) when Judy met him, but he didn’t try to make small talk with her or wave to her. Judy didn’t mind, he was probably just going to have to get used to her. The only person Christopher really talked willingly to was Jennifer Harding, head of Cardio. The two seemed to match really well when it came to their jobs. Christopher being head of neuro and Jennifer Cardio was like the two Gods of the hospital being friends. 

And that’s exactly how Judy saw Jennifer, a God, well actually a goddess might fit more. Jennifer Harding was hardcore. Everyone respected the hell out of her and didn’t dare get in her way. The heart surgeon didn’t mess around when it came to surgeries. She didn’t let anyone play music to pass the time and she never let anyone talk unless it had to do with the surgery. Judy only knew this information from what a scrub nurse Karen told her. Karen made the mistake of trying to make small talk with the blonde on her first day, while she handed her the proper tools needed during the surgery. Jen just glared at her and told her to stop talking. 

Judy never got to see the blonde or talk to her. In her three months on the job she has yet to have a child with heart problems that needed surgery. On her second week, they did bump into one another in the hospital cafeteria. Jen was purchasing a sandwich and while she was walking away Judy ran into Jen because of her lack of situational awareness. Judy was looking at her pager and not focusing on the blonde who was turning away from the register. This altercation caused Jen to drop her plastic wrapped sandwich on the linoleum flooring. 

Judy cursed under her breath and picked up the sandwich, giving it to Jen in the process. Judy explained that she would gladly buy the woman another sandwich, but Jen just bluntly replied with, ‘there’s no need… it’s plastic wrapped.’ 

Before Judy could introduce herself, Jen had walked to the table where Christopher sat. Judy then made her way over to a table with Steve and Karen, who were both snickering at Judy. The rest of their lunch consisted of the two Laguna beach alum informing the peds surgeon on all things Jen related. Things like not to call her by her full name Jennifer…ever, or how not to mention how chief Harding is her ex mother in law. Apparently the two didn’t get along, especially after her husband had died. Ted, Jen’s husbands name, had died only a year after the two got married. 

Judy’s first three months at Laguna Beach hospital were a smooth ride. That was until a patient who Judy knew very well came into the hospital. 

Henry, a ten-year-old, who desperately needed a heart transplant came in. Judy had assisted and performed multiple surgeries on him in the last 3 years. The peds surgeon knew it must be bad if his mother flew him from Baltimore to California to see Judy. 

So yeah, the first three months were great for Judy but now, now Henry was in critical condition and now Jen Harding, head of Cardio, was going to have to help Judy save the boy.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “How am I supposed to do it?” Judy’s voice wavered as she asked the question, her eyes filling up with tears yet again. Judy couldn’t let Jen see her fucking cry, so she willed the impending tears away. 
> 
> “You do it with me.” Jen was confident, something that Judy almost envied her for. She was strong and willing, always so sure in what she had to say. And for Judy, Jen felt as if she had to say everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long!! I have been having horrible writers block so this chapter might not flow or be that great but also I couldn't stand editing it anymore lol. Hopefully updates will be more frequent.

There’s something about fixing a heart that’s therapeutic for Jennifer Harding. Stitching the thick muscle back together, replacing a valve to make blood flow easier, feeling and hearing the beating as oxygen pumps through to the rest of the body. 

Describing it as something she loves to do would be an understatement. Cardio is her life. She breathes and sleeps hearts. Nothing else in her fucked up life matters when she stands in an OR and helps save countless lives. It’s like a choreographed dance. She can perform routine surgeries in her sleep with such grace. 

So, when many of her coworkers tease her about her standoffish behavior at work, she doesn’t take it to heart. She isn’t here to talk about what her weekend plans are. She isn’t here to make friends. She’s here to perform the choregraphed dance that is cardio. 

Then Judy Hale, the new pediatrics attending, shows up and shifts Jens focus. Jen didn’t notice the peppy brunette at first. Peds isn’t a place she spends most of her time. Kids don’t have many heart problems. It’s rare that a kid needs heart surgery, and if they do, it’s usually something minor or routine that a cardio resident could do. 

When Judy had bumped into Jen and caused her to drop her sandwich, that was when Jen really noticed her. Noticed the awfully bright and somewhat nervous smile plastered on the short woman’s face. Noticed the blue bird stitched into her white coat. Noticed the straight across bangs that were freshly cut, and just below them, the big doe eyed brown pupils staring back at her. Jen scoffed in her head thinking how much Judy looked and presented herself exactly like a peds surgeon. 

So, for the next couple of months, Jen’s gaze would find Judy’s in certain hallways or in the cafeteria. Most of the time she was either talking to Michelle, who stood way to close to the surgeon, and Steve, who always had a devilish smile on for Judy. 

That was until Jen was paged for a cardio consult on a Ten-year-old boy with Cardiomyopathy. Cardiomyopathy wasn’t too common in children but nevertheless, after Jen took a look at the scans, he desperately needed a heart transplant. 

++++

“He’s been at the top of the list for the last year but there’s been no matches.” Judy explains to Jen as they stand outside of Henry’s room, deciding the best plan of treatment to move forward with. 

Judy had approached her at lunch earlier that day and asked if she had taken a look at the boy’s scans. Judy had skipped the pleasantries of introducing themselves which indicated that the brunette was worried. After looking at Henry’s chart, Jen knew Judy had an extensive history with him, so she deducted that Judy’s now permanent puppy dog sad face was because of Henry. 

“I advise we perform a septal myectomy, it’ll give him a lot more time to wait for a heart. It’s not a permanent fix but it’s the best we can do.” 

Judy’s face fell as Jen said the words she didn’t want to hear. Henrys heart wasn’t strong enough to withstand that kind of surgery and there was basically no point in performing it at all, there was almost a zero percent chance he’d make it through. 

“He’s had four open heart surgeries in the past two years, all of them I have assisted on, and I know he is not strong enough for open heart surgery Dr. Harding. “

Judy turned her head to look through clear doors of henry’s room and sighed. She knew his parents were going to insist on the surgery, they were fighters. Hell, if they weren’t fighters, Henry wouldn’t be here. 

Jen watched as Judy battled something within herself. The cardio surgeon didn’t like to get attached to patients but sometimes you can’t help it. With kids it’s harder, it hurts more when you know nothing can be done, especially when you’ve spent three years treating them yourself. 

Judy looked back at Jen and shook her head. 

“We’ll tell them about the surgery but I’m not going to do it. I can’t go and cut him open, knowing he’s not going to make it.” 

Judy’s usual bright brown eyes had been darkened and dull since Henry came in. Everyone had noticed, even Jen who only knew her for less than two months. It wasn’t Jen’s place to say anything, so she just nodded her head and both surgeons made their way into henry’s room. 

++++

“Doctor Hale! I was just telling mom how you said that my math was getting better!” Henry exclaimed, looking at the brunette doctor like she was a superhero. 

The boy had wavy blonde hair and big eyes that seemed to be a mix of blue and green. Those said eyes now held a twinkle as he peered up at Judy from his hospital bed. The room was decorated like any 10-year-old boys would be. 

Instead of hospital sheets, he had baseball bedding and around the room, posters of various Broadway musicals (which made Jen smile) and many posters of different species of birds were plastered around the walls. 

Jen knew that with his condition, it required him to be in a hospital bed, hooked up too many monitors, for months at a time.   
“Yes, Henry is improving a lot on his math homework, we covered some pretty advanced long division.” Judy placed her hand on Henry’s shoulder and squeezed lightly. 

Jen noticed that Judy acted and looked at henry like he was her own child. Three years treating the same kid was bound to do that to any surgeon. Judy’s eyes were a deep brown that mimicked the sparkle in Henry’s, her megawatt smile was unwavering as she looked down at the boy while he animatedly spoke to his mother about how Judy could do long division in her head. 

“This is Dr. Harding she’s the cardiothoracic surgeon who is on Henry’s case with me.”  
Judy motioned to the blonde who bowed her head at the parents.

“Tell me you’ve thought of something to save our little boy.” The parents looked at Jen with hope in their eyes. Her face faltered a bit when she remembered her and Judy’s discussion just outside the door. 

Jen glanced at Henry who had a quizzical look on his face as he stared the blonde heart surgeon down. Jen smiled slightly and turned to Judy, knowing that she was the head surgeon on the case. 

“While it is still an option, Surgery isn’t the best idea for Henry’s condition. His heart wouldn’t be able to take it so the best thing we can do is to wait for a heart transplant and let me assure you he’s at the top of the list.” Judy said, her smile fading into uncertainty. It’s like someone took a needle to a balloon and popped it. All of the life from the brunette faded. 

However, the bright voice of the messy headed blonde brought Judy out of her trance and Jen out of her concerned thoughts. “Dr. Hale she’s a Blue Jay right! Just like the one on your lab coat!” 

Henry was pointing at Jen when he made his observation and looking at her with a bright smile. Jen was very confused and looked around as if she were mistaken and he was pointing at something behind her. But he then proceeded to explain how Jen’s eyes resembled the color of a blue jay. 

“Henry, I think you’re on to something!” Judy smiled over at Jen, looking her up and down. The blonde suddenly felt uncomfortable and awkwardly placed her hands in her coat pockets, catching Judy’s eyes with her own. Judy’s bright smile was back like it had never left. 

“Blue Jays are pretty bold and daring.” Judy kept her gaze on Jen as she said this and smirked at the blonde, who couldn’t help but smile back, feeling a blush begin to creep onto her cheeks. 

“Yeah they are also aggressive and scream when they see something they don’t like.” Henry read aloud as he scanned the page of his new bird encyclopedia his parents had bought him.   
Jen scoffed and made her way over to Henry’s bed. 

“Yeah you’re pretty smart kid, that sounds exactly like me.” Jen ruffled his hair and bent down to Henrys level who was now showing her all the different birds in his new book. Henry explained how Judy was a dove and Jen had to admit, it was pretty good how much the dove resembled Judy. 

After a couple of minutes, Jen heard Henry’s parents talking to Judy about how they still wanted to go through with the surgery, exactly what Jen predicted they’d do. She winced, seeing the pain in Judy and how she politely told them that they’d have to go find another doctor to perform the surgery. 

That information didn’t go down to well with the parents because they then began to raise their voice at Judy and demand that she performs the surgery, she was Henry’s doctor after all. 

Judy just excused herself and left the room, leaving Jen alone with Henry (who she was beginning to see why Judy loved him so much) and his parents who didn’t look very happy at the moment. 

“I know you only want what’s best for your son and Ju- Dr. Hale knows that. I’ll go talk to her.” Jen explains and gets up from her crouched position next to Henry’s bed and leaves the room in search of the peds surgeon. 

++++

The unusually cold California air did nothing to numb the pain Judy was feeling. She sat on one of the metal benches outside of the hospital and just stared into space. She knew what was coming, she knew henry was going to die and she knew she had no power to do anything about it. 

Judy rubbed her hands together and wiped the semi frozen tears off her cheeks. Sure, Judy was an emotional person, but she never crossed the line professionally with patients. Henry, however, was different. They were like best friends, and she’d known him for three years. She saved his life again and again for three years and her luck was just running out. 

Judy felt a now familiar warmth beside her. Jen slowly sat down next to the brunette and stared off into space, not wanting to make Judy uncomfortable with her gaze. 

“Took me a while to find you. “Jen stated and watched as her breath came out in a puff of white. It was cold. Too cold for California, and in some way, Jen felt that Judy being all depressed was making mother nature mimic her. If Judy was sad, everything else was sad. 

“Yeah well I needed to think.” Judy softly said and looked over at Jen. Her lips were pink and cheeks a rosy shade of red. Strands of her blonde hair blowing over the front of her face, but Jen didn’t bother putting them back into place. The wind would just lift them up again. 

“I know you said you wouldn’t do the surgery, but they are just going to find someone else and personally I think if anyone had the best shot, it’d be you.” Jen turned her head to meet Judy’s eyes. Jen knew the statement was too caring and soft for her but hell, the peds surgeon made everyone soft. 

Judy’s body slumped like it always did when the surgery or Henry’s probable outcome was mentioned. Judy leaned her back against the bench and sighed, hands wrapping around herself to try and keep the warmth inside her chest. 

“How am I supposed to do it?” Judy’s voice wavered as she asked the question, her eyes filling up with tears yet again. Judy couldn’t let Jen see her fucking cry, so she willed the impending tears away. 

“You do it with me.” Jen was confident, something that Judy almost envied her for. She was strong and willing, always so sure in what she had to say. And for Judy, Jen felt as if she had to say everything. 

“You’re not alone in this Jude.” Jen had no idea why she called Judy by her name, let alone a nickname, but there was something about the perky peds surgeon who brought out a much nicer side of Jen. 

Yeah, Jen felt like her circumstances sucked. She was losing a beloved patient that she’d known for three years in the beginning of her new job. Steve was a creepy weirdo and she was constantly being yelled at by Dr. Perez. Michelle wouldn’t leave her alone and no one really ever talked to her other than Karen. 

But Judy never complained. 

Jen felt bad. But being nice to Judy wasn’t just an obligation. Jen would do anything to see the bright glimmer in her eyes like when she talked to Henry, or when the cafeteria had her favorite tea in stock. Jen wanted to watch Judy’s face light up when a child had decorated the walls with drawings of butterflies and teddy bears or when she saw her name on the surgery board for the first time ever at her new job. 

So maybe Jen had a teeny tiny crush on the new peds surgeon.

**Author's Note:**

> I should have second part up within the week so stay tuned! Next chapter is all about building Jen and Judy's relationship.


End file.
